Wishing Stan Galiev all The Best

Stanislav Galiev is one of the nicest guys we have met in our time following the Washington Capitals. We were saddened; however, not surprised to hear that the Caps have placed him on waivers. We are hopeful that if some other NHL team doesn’t snatch him up that we will see him excel as a Hershey Bear.

Galiev first came to the Caps development camp in 2010 and one of us at FiCP was pretty taken with him. Stan was third round draft pick at the age of 18. Right from the start he was friendly and always made time to sign or pose with fans. He was young and just starting his career having won the Memorial Cup with the St. John Sea Dogs in 2011.

He moved up to the AHL Hershey Bears in 2012 and had a respectable showing while still playing with the ECHL Reading Royals. The 2015/16 season was his chance to shine and show the Caps that he belonged in the NHL. Unfortunately he did not have the productive year we hoped he would with only three assists in 26 games.

Stan is one of those quiet players with a determination to succeed. We believe he can have a strong and successful career in the AHL level. He may simply need a bit more seasoning before landing a permanent spot in the NHL. Hershey Bear blogger Kyle Mace said today pondered, “can you imagine the damage he will do on the power play this season?” According to J.J. Regan, CSN, Trotz had this to say about cutting Galiev: “Based on looking at our roster, where Stan was, just wasn’t seeing enough impact in the game,” Trotz said. “I talked to Stan about that and we felt that we need him to play. If I had to start our 12 forwards, he wouldn’t be in there so he’s in the same boat he was last year.”

Stan will be one of those players we keep an eye on and we wish Stan and Olya all the best in life as they move on from the Washington Capitals.